The heart of our mission is to find the amazing souls that breathe life into our communities. In the recent weeks, we’ve had the privilege to connect with some incredible artists, creatives, entrepreneurs and rabble rousers and we can’t begin to express how impressed we are with the incredible group below. Check out our favorite stories from across the Voyage family.
Monique Smaz
I started playing music as soon as I possibly could. My dad was a professional jazz drummer, so music was a large part of my environment growing up. He had me practicing paradiddles as soon as I could hold a pair of drumsticks! Read more>>
Julia Fristedt
From a young age, creativity has always been what fills my cup. It has been something I’ve naturally turned to throughout every stage of life; whether as an outlet, a way to connect with people, or simply something that brings me joy. Gifting has always felt like an extension of that. Read more>>
Lydia Ciuraru
I actually started cosmetology school after finishing my bachelor’s degree at UW–Stout. During my senior year, I realized that hair was what I really wanted to do. I was always the one doing everyone’s hair and makeup before socials, so looking back, I think the signs were always there! Read more>>
Skyler Swender
I’m a Wisconsin born outdoor enthusiast that enjoys a healthy balance of animation and hoofing it on trails as much as I can. The Superior Hiking Trail has a special place in my heart and I always try to get new friends to enjoy it with me and let them find the love I have for the trail too. Read more>>
Maura McBreen
I think my story probably starts long before I knew I would become a therapist. As kids, we sold sweet corn to raise money for college. At the time, I don’t think I understood all of what that was teaching me. Read more>>
Josh Toke
Hi there! My name is Josh Toke, JT if you like it like that. Pleased to meet you! I was raised in the cornfields of northwest Wisconsin north of Eau Claire but now I live fabulous Saint Paul, Minnesota! Read more>>
Eddie Coles
My story has always been centered around creativity, growth, and figuring out how to turn the things I’m naturally passionate about into something meaningful. I was born in Monrovia, Liberia and moved to the United States at a young age. Growing up, I became very interested in technology, fashion, photography, design, and creating things that represented my perspective. Read more>>
Jason Dorweiler
I started out wanting to do something with my art background while in school. I didn’t have a solid plan on art school because tuition was expensive, so I joined the Marines while simultaneously working as cook in many different kitchens. It wasn’t until ramen became a trending food item all over the US that I started taking cooking serious. Read more>>
Jeremy Cmiel
I started making hot sauce in 2019 with a Ninja blender and some peppers. The first one was a pineapple habanero, mostly because it sounded good to me. After a couple of quick recipe iterations, friends and family started telling me I should sell it. The balance was the thing: sweet pineapple against habanero heat, and people kept coming back for it. Read more>>
Skyler Seviola
My story has never followed a perfectly straight line, but looking back, the common thread has always been people. Understanding them, connecting with them, and finding ways to tell stories that make them feel something. I started building a presence on social media when I was young, before I fully understood that what I was doing was marketing. Read more>>
Brittany Carter
I started with a desire to create something of my own and build a life around my creativity. I was born in Pomona, California, but I was raised in Minnesota, and over the years I discovered that entrepreneurship gave me a way to turn my ideas into something real. Read more>>
Sophie Herber
It all started in a college darkroom in 2023, and I FELL IN LOVE IMMEDIATELY. Photography gave me a way to slow down and notice the quieter moments that often get missed between the big milestones. We can’t pause time, but I think a photo is the closest thing to it — something you can come back to and feel all over again. Read more>>
Abbie Ulstad
Ever since I was eight years old I knew I wanted to be an art teacher. And I got to live that dream. I was fortunate to teach thousands of kids from all kinds of families in my public school art classroom. Yet regardless of their background, I kept hearing the same things over and over again. Read more>>
Taylor Boley
After nearly a decade working in the interior design industry, I found myself craving something more personal. I had spent years learning the ins and outs of design and watching spaces transform, but I wanted the freedom to create in a way that felt entirely my own. So, I took the leap and started Boley Design Studio. Read more>>
Channel Jamil
I started my journey in music by studying music and music technology, where I developed a foundation in songwriting, production, and audio engineering. From there, I continued developing as a producer and artist, eventually creating my own independent platform, Dreamworld, and releasing music under the name Channel Jamil. Read more>>
Sylvester Ware
I started my business Black Father Nation, I was a young father looking for resources and a career. After not receiving any help one reason is because I wasn’t on child support. Made me realize I had to make my own business of finding and funding resources for fathers like me and from my community. Read more>>
Andrew For America
I joined the Navy out of high school and got stationed in San Diego. While in San Diego I started playing in punk rock bands, and my band was getting shows and growing in local popularity. This went on for many years, military training followed by lots of stage time. Read more>>
Shawlonte’ Fronk
Christ Led Diva was born from my own transformation, but the mission has grown into something much bigger than my story. Christ Led Diva (CLD) is the ministry brand I created as the name and identity behind my Christian work. Read more>>
Anton Treuer
I didn’t really set out with a master plan to become an author, professor, speaker, or business owner. Most of what I’ve done grew out of a much simpler question: What can I do that is useful? I grew up in Minnesota and became deeply interested in Ojibwe language, history, and culture. Read more>>
Alex ( SOLANA) Richter
I am a Latino artist from south Minneapolis. I use the stage name Solana My main focus is singer and making beats. My musical background came from singing in the choir and playing bass in a band with my highschool friends. My journey as a solo artist began in 2020. Read more>>
Marcy Dworschak
I started crocheting when I was 8-9 years old. My mom decided that it would be best if her mom taught me how to crochet. I was named after my grandmother and we got along amazingly. I learned a lot through the next few years and decided it was time to enter something at my local fair. Read more>>
Anthony Kyrian
I grew up in the mid-west in Nigeria. Abuja is home for me and millions like me. it’s a very beautiful place that blends several cultures from across the country. My life shifted the moment I had to leave for Italy for high school. Read more>>
Kim Wilson
14 years ago, we started with a desire to ride/race bicycles, and the desire to keep broken bicycles out of the trash. With a background in fiberglass composite work (car body modifications), Drew Wilson purchased a broken bicycle frame to fix and race in local cyclocross races. A few races later, word spread that we could repair carbon bicycle frames and Cyclocarbon was born. Read more>>
Rosilynn Morris
My name is Rosilynn and. I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker and Find Your Piece is my private therapy practice. I specialize in complex trauma and offer compassionate, culturally responsive therapy for children, teens, and adults across the lifespan. My approach honors each person’s unique story, identity, and lived experience, supporting them in making meaning of their experiences, healing, and creating lasting change. Read more>>
Bryan Goltzman
“Of course you did.” That is something a friend said after I told him we found a HIDDEN ROOM in our house and I turned it into a speakeasy two weeks later. He was laughing, but he was also right. I tend to see an opening and immediately start thinking, “Okay, what could this become?” That has been a pretty consistent theme in my life. Read more>>
Candice Amundson
I was born and raised in Winona MN and started a career in Veterinary Medicine after college. I have always been a huge part of my community and did my first mission trip to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 for 7 days to rescue animals. After 20 years in Vet Med I decided to start my own business. Read more>>
Angela Sticha
Voices Behind the Mission The story of Duck Cup Memorial began in the quiet years after losing their best friend during freshman year of college. When his closest friends gathered at his gravesite, they found themselves confronting a question that would change the course of their lives: If we could go back, what would we have done differently? Read more>>
NANCY ANTENUCCI
My first sense that I could “step outside” myself came during grade school recess. I was pretending to be a galloping white horse to stay warm. I could almost feel the mane and the steam of my own breath. I still describe myself that way: a white horse from the Appalachians. My mother and I were both in cahoots of the mysteries. Read more>>
Maria Serbus
I built a life that made sense on paper — and it was slowly costing me everything underneath. Eight years in healthcare. A business I scaled fast. Every milestone hit right on schedule. From the outside, I had it figured out. Inside, I was performing. Achieving. Completely disconnected from why I’d started any of it. Read more>>
